Word of the Day

Thursday, January 27, 2005

moiety

\MOY-uh-tee\ , noun;

One of two equal parts; a half.

An indefinite part; a small portion or share.

One of two basic tribal subdivisions.

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Quotes:

Tom divided the cake and Becky ate with good appetite, while Tom nibbled at his moiety.

-- Mark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Cut off from news at home, fearful of a blood bath, anxious to salvage a moiety of the reform program, the Prague leadership accepted Moscow's diktat.

-- Karl E. Meyer, "Pangloss in Prague", New York Times, June 27, 1993

Barunga society is sharply divided into two complementary, descent-based branches (a structure anthropologists call "moiety"), which permeate relationships, spirituality, and many other aspects of life.

-- Claire Smith, "Art of The Dreaming", Discovering Archaeology, March/April 2000

Origin:

Moiety comes from Old French meitiet, from Late Latin medietas, from Latin medius, "middle."